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He wasn't very good in the role.

Posted by:	AC126748 07:41 pm EDT 05/08/15
In reply to:	Why didn't Jonathan Groff play HAIR on Broadway? - BillyG 03:28 pm EDT 05/08/15

I saw Groff in HAIR twice -- first at the park concert in September 2007 and second during the full run the following summer. I also saw Hanke, Creel, Kyle Riabko, and Jay Armstrong Johnson play Claude. To be honest, of the five Claudes I saw, Groff was easily my least favorite -- and I'm an admirer of his generally. As others have said, he never seemed like a natural fit in the role. Not to play armchair Dr. Freud, but in the wake of Groff's very public statements about how deeply closeted he was during this point in his career, I've wondered if his uncomfortable attitude towards his sexuality at that time hindered his portrayal of a sexually liberated character. But I don't want to go too deep into the waters of psychoanalytical criticism. Groff was white-hot at the time -- a handsome young leading man, with a gorgeous voice, coming off a run in a hit show. Even if he wasn't a natural in the role of Claude, his casting at the time seemed like a no-brainer. And while I've spoken to many people who didn't like his performance, I'm sure many did. Honestly, of the five Claudes I saw, my favorite was Riabko (himself Groff's immediate replacement in SPRING AWAKENING). He brought the greatest mix of unaffected acting and beautiful singing to the role. Johnson sang the role best -- he's got killer pipes -- but he wasn't much of an actor. I thought Creel was better than good but not quite great, and I honestly don't remember much either way about Hanke, though I have friends who say he was the best in the role.

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re: He wasn't very good in the role.

Posted by:	royscho 10:16 pm EDT 05/08/15
In reply to:	He wasn't very good in the role. - AC126748 07:41 pm EDT 05/08/15

I've seen four out of the five Claudes and Hanke was by far my favorite. Fantastic combination of voice and acting.

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